Donald Trump on the look-out for his Republican running mate

By Julie Pace

Donald Trump has signalled a new phase of his US Presidential campaign, searching for a running mate who could help him govern and reaching out to one-time competitors in an effort to heal the fractured Republican Party.

Donald Trump has signalled a new phase of his US Presidential campaign, searching for a running mate who could help him govern and reaching out to one-time competitors in an effort to heal the fractured Republican Party.

"I am confident I can unite much of the party," Mr Trump said as several prominent Republicans said they would prefer Democrat Hillary Clinton over the New York billionaire.

In a shot at his critics, Mr Trump said: "Those people can go away and maybe come back in eight years after we served two terms. Honestly, there are some people I really don't want."

His comments on several networks came a few hours after Mr Trump, once dismissed as a fringe contender, became all but certainly the leader of the Republicans into the autumn campaign against Mrs Clinton.

The former Secretary of State suffered a defeat in Indiana to her rival Bernie Sanders, but holds a definitive lead in Democratic delegates who will decide the party nomination.

The Republican competition changed dramatically with Mr Trump's Indiana victory and Ted Cruz's abrupt decision to quit the race. John Kasich also ended his bid for the White House, with Trump to become presumptive Republican nominee for US President.

"The American dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again."

"Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as as much of a turn-on as his money."

On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be at one of my courses. I would invite him, I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House."

"You have to think anyway, so why not think big."

"Everything in life is luck."

"What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate."

"If you're interested in balancing work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable."

"I just sold an apartment to China for $15million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them? I love China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In Trump Tower."

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have lots of problems. They're bringing drugs. They are bringing crime. They're rapists."

I will build a great wall - and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and I'll build them very expensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words."

"Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people."

"Some of the candidates, they went in and didn't know the air conditioner didn't work and sweated like dogs and they didn't know the room was too big because they didn't have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?"

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump mocks reporter Serge Kovaleski's disability. While waving his arms around he said: "Now the poor guy [Kovaleski] — you ought to see the guy: ‘Uhh I don’t know what I said. I don’t remember.’ He’s going, ‘I don’t remember. Maybe that’s what I said."

Mr Trump told ABC's Good Morning America that banning Muslims was warranted because the US is essentially at war with Muslim extremists who have launched attacks including last week's shooting in San Bernardino, California, that killed 14. "We are now at war," he said, adding: "We have a president who doesn't want to say that."
"Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life."

An protester against Donald Trump holds a burning T-shirt outside the Republican's rally in Albuquerque (AP)

After the Orlando nightclub mass shooting - the worst in American history - Donald Trump tweeted: "Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart! "